Talent in SGP (or I feel dull)

catching up with ed last night while queueing up for nouvelle vague. he couldn't make it in time because he had to be at attica for a fashion show of his room mate. ed updates me on people within the design field. 10am, Asylum, Kinetic, :phunk studio etc etc.....I think frontal can be considered too... we (ed and I) were on the same boat when he was serving his national service and because of common interests (design, clubbing, beautiful things), we continue to move within the same venues although not the same circles. Our social circles are tangential and it is at the edges that we managed to catch a hi and bye sometimes. It was only last night when we could catch up.

i suppose those within my social circle (bento and ken) are in the design field as well. pin can be considered as well. he's a visual artist. mr vong is in this field somewhat. animation is a better description and considering that he is involved in the Freedom Project, fuck, he's right on track for something good in the world of anime.

i like the idea of a creative collective. a collective that ventures and is not bounded. Rick Smith, Karl Hyde and Darren Emerson, collectively known as Underworld produced some of my favourite dance choons. But before Emerson, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde was already creating works together in tomato. So when Emerson left, it was only a progression that was deemed natural. And this collective is something that is replicated in exciting cities all over the world. Groups of creative people coming together to make music, art, pushing the boundaries of media, marketing, public relations. And have fun doing it. I mean, I think Asylum is closed on Sundays because the bosses wanna club on Saturday nights and nurse their hangovers on Sunday.

Talking about these talented collectives, there is an individual who is based in Singapore who was featured in the current issue of Time magazine.

Paul Ponnudorai.

Ring any bell?

Here's a clue:


Ok, he looks older now and without the facial hair.
He performs at Harry's @Esplanade every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Liam Fitzpatrick wrote such a glowing review of this guitar extraordinaire it's a painful reminder that Singapore's filled with an island's worth of money-grabbing individuals.
Liam calls Paul, Singapore's undiscovered virtuoso (ok ok, he is born in Malaysia). I feel embarrassed already. I'm gonna check him out cause when it comes to live bands, I've only been to the few at Timbre and Crazy Elephant. He has a cd out and can be bought from him in person (probably) or from cdbaby.
I think he will enjoy a sudden uprise in popularity given the article.

I think we can all be satisfied with knowing the things we already know. Being shown to know less than others can be a painful reminder of our ignorance. And sometimes, in our way of defence, be it to protect our ego or stamp down others', we do weirdly inexplicable stuff. Like refusing to try or thumbing down the taste of others. Other weird stuff include justifying one's own lack of eclectism because of refusing to try new stuff or claiming that eclectism is only for the rich and the weird. Or the homosexuals. Beat that.

Lord, give me grace
And dancing feet
And the power to impress

Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice,
I will dazzle them with my wit